Shooting board
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Great work Gregory. Looks just like the one that Paul made.
Gary, what do you mean by an  8″ bearing on the upper tier? Which dimension is that? Length, width, depth?
I also wondered if you made the dimensions of the shooting board large enough whether you could use it for squaring the entire board rather than just the end? If you had one flat side/end surely you could do the whole board?
Cheers
Jon
On Rob Cosman’s DVD, piston fit draws. He shoots all four edges of his draw parts
Thanks everyone for the kind words. Â As far as which plane, I just use my #4 is it seems to work just fine. Â A sharp blade makes all the difference…found out the hard way. Â When I first tried the shooting board the plane would not bite into the wood, just skip across it. Â I sharpened the blade and then tried again. Â What a difference, smooth, clean end grain shavings.
@Gary…yes you can shoot long grain as well.  I did just that on several pieces of scrap.  It still amazes my that this simple jig can produce an absolutely square piece of wood….square in all directions I might add.Helloooooo 😀
That’s a very nice piece of work Gregory 🙂
I’m sorry if I was a bit vague Jon.  I’d inadvertently mentioned the dimension I often use for the width of the upper tier on shooting boards, but – in response to your question – a little extra width on the upper surface/platform can pay dividends when working wider/longer stock items and a secondary section (Without track for the plane) can be fashioned in the form of a bench hook and used to support materials extending beyond the main shooting board.  I’d suggest making a larger shooting board (Length and width) as a potential future project. 😉
One of my larger shooting boards was made to carry guitar and cello sides/ribs, as well as sound boards and back plates when I used to make stringed instruments.  It measures  4′ in length x 16″ in width, but was solely used for planing/shooting side elements square along the grain.
I use a 605 1/2
Guys,
Busy weekend! Â I finally got with the programme and made something……well two things actually. Â I started on making the shooting board and got as far as the 90 degree element (dado cut and fitted with wedge). Â The wedge fits perfectly and the angle is, as far as I can tell with the combination square I have, bang on 90 degrees. Â I was pretty stunned, although I did follow Paul’s instructions to a tee.
One of my challenges though was that I had huge problems clamping the workpiece to chisel out the dado. Â I made it extra wide and long to handle bigger bits of stock (given my usual lack of accuracy in sawing and planing…..I need all the help I can get), but the problem then was that my vice only opens to approx 7 inches and the board is a foot wide. I don’t have a long sash clamp like I’ve see Paul use for wider bits of stock (now on my shopping list!), so I struggled through by clamping it to the bench with rachet clamps, which was far from ideal. Â So last thing yesterday I made myself a bench hook from some old scrap wood. Â It works an absolute treat at stopping the workpiece sliding around whilst chiselling. Â Anyway, I finished off the two 45 degree dados and wedges and, much to my extreme surprise, seem to have got them spot on too.
I’ve not really had much of an opportunity to try the shooting board yet, but one thing I have noticed is that it’s a bit of a challenge to keep the plane perpendicular to the edge of the board and therefore the stock that you’re edge planing. I have an old No. 4 Stanley which I bought off eBay. I’m not sure if this is usual, but when it’s lying on it’s side it’s a few degrees off perpendicular in the direction away from the board. Â That means that in order to run it square with the workpiece you have to tilt the uppermost edge in toward the workpiece. Â This raises a number of questions:
is this usual or should the plane be completely square?
should you try and fix it by adjusting either the plane or the shooting board, or do you work around it by altering your technique?
if you make an adjustment, do you make it to the plane (by lapping the side flat until it is 90 degrees) or do you make an adjustment to the board?  I wondered if laying something like a steel ruler  (or a suitably shaped shim) on the base board at the right distance from the board holding the workpiece, you’d create the necessary angle?I’d be interested to know if/how people get around this issue.
Cheers
Jon (knackered but happy)
Nice one Jon 🙂
Three options exist.
1. Â Square the plane.
2. Â Adjust the blade til it’s square to the shooting board runway.
3. Â Invest in another plane. Â I’d suggest a #5/#05.
It’s not too unusual for a plane’s sides to wear and drift from true, but I’ve encountered this aspect more with Stanley than Record planes and suspect it could also relate to casting quality. Â Another adjustment you could make concerning your shooting board would be to plane a channel in the outer edge of the runway and inlay a brass or nylon strip (Not steel or iron as it would wear on the side of the plane) to compensate for the existing inaccuracy, but this would potentially leave you unable to use other planes with the shooting board.
Jon,
I had the same issue with my ebay #4. Â the side wing was far from square to the sole. Â I tried compensating with blade adjustment but it never really worked that well. Â I purchased a Stanley #5 of ebay and it’s side wing is square to it’s sole. Â What a difference. Â When it comes to something like the shooting board, consistent and reliable results are very important. Â Find yourself another plane that is square, its worth it!
The shooting board i am using at the moment also isn’t dead square.
Until i wil try to make Pauls shooting board i use a feeler gauge to correct the workpiece til it’s square.
I know it is not a perfect solution but for now it works great.
Do you own a shoulder plane or rebate plane Juryaan? Â Even a plough plane can be pressed into service if you need to square or modify your fences my friend.
sometimes the answer is so simpel that i want to bury myself for not thinking of it myself.
Thanks Gary, for reminding me that the answer isn’t always as difficult as it seems.
Hi Gary and Gregory,
I’m beginning to think that the no.4 I have is a bit of a clonker. Â It took me absolutely ages and buckets of sweat to get the sole flat. I can probably get the side wing square with a bit of work. Â Still the effort to ‘fettle’ it is teaching me stuff along the way which I will find a use for in the future I’m sure.
I think the no.5 might be the way to go, although I might well have to find some way of distracting SWMBO whilst I get it in the house. Â I already have a combination (#50) and a Narex chisel….oh, and a mallet….en route, so I’m going to have to set up some diversionary tactics.
Cheers
Jon
Hi Jon , a day at the spa does miracles.
Hi Jon,
Just kid SWMBO into thinking the extra spoons you’ve noticed disappearing must be somewhere  around the house and not in use as tunneling tools. 😉
Tool fettling can be an excellent learning experience most of the time, but the odd hiccough can sometimes prove a real pain in the butt.  With your #4 resting on it’s side, add a shim or two beneath the side until the sole is vertical with the work surface and you’ll be able to measure the amount of material you need to remove in order to achieve square. 😉
@Juryaan……..are you talking about for me or for the No.4?
@Gary…….that was what I was thinking….then use a flat file to ease it back to almost square, then finish by lapping it on its side with varying degrees of wet and dry. Â Good plan re the spoons by the way……”bloody dishwasher is swallowing them up dear”.Jon
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